Meedu Saad’s Burning Passion
“ The idea for Impala started about the same time I had my little boy, who’s five years old now,” says Meedu Saad. “Becoming a dad prompted me to learn more about my cultural heritage, and food felt like the right medium for doing that.” Impala, the restaurant he’s opening this month, brings flavours of North Africa to Soho. It’s the newest member of the Super 8 stable (Smoking Goat, Brat, Mountain and northern Thai institution Kiln, where Saad is co-owner and executive chef). Saad, who was born and raised in Tottenham with an Egyptian father and British mother, has always loved learning about new cultures and traditions but felt “it was time to start delving deeper into my own – as well as those I grew up around in north London”. Named after the 1964 Chevrolet he drove during long, hot summers visiting Egypt in his younger years, Impala channels some of his fondest memories from this period. “My dad is from Ismailia in northern Egypt, which is famous for its mango harvest. I remember my cousin taking me to a friend’s farm where, after a full day in the sun picking fruit, the family put on an amazing spread of roasted birds, rice and fruit,” he says. “One dish in particular was a duck roasted in buffalo butter and stuffed with spices, which has become one of the core dishes on the menu at Impala.” Saad’s other experiences in Egypt – grilling clams gathered from the Red Sea, learning recipes from his grandmother, tapping into the farming communities of Luxor and Aswan, visiting female-led organisations preserving culinary traditions near Cairo – have informed a menu that also shares cultural connections with Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, as well as his native Tottenham. Key to a sense of cohesion is the charcoal grill. “Growing up around the Turkish mangals and Caribbean communities of north London, it feels like a no-brainer,” Saad says. “I see fire as an ingredient, and my cooking relies heavily on smoke and heat to give it its identity. And that ties in beautifully with the regions I’m exploring here, because fire is so prevalent in that food as well.” Saad has built relationships with suppliers across the UK, including revered Cornish fish supplier Kernowsashimi and a network of regenerative vegetable farmers, while also stockpiling a larder of ingredients and spices. “We’ve been pickling and salting chillis, peppers and aubergines at the height of their season, and over winter we’ve been preserving Palestinian limes, quinces and citruses, which will be served alongside interesting cuts of meat grilled over the charcoal.” It will all come alive in a space bathed in natural light and punctuated by pieces from revered mid-century architects Carlo Scarpa and Carlo Mollino. There are intimate corners and a large kitchen counter where diners can observe the ins and outs of Impala’s huge woodfired oven, which references those that serve whole neighbourhoods in community hubs across north Africa. “I hope that Impala feels new but also familiar, that people feel it’s accessible but still special,” says Saad. “Soho feels like home to me and we’re in an incredible location on Dean Street, near some of the best restaurants to ever do it – Quo Vadis, French House, Barrafina. I hope that Impala can further add to the scene.”
Hannah Crosbie COMMENT
The city’s saké scene is blossoming.
A HUMBLE SAKÉ FLIGHT AT HUMBLE CHICKEN There’s no cursory glass of saké in the pairings on this Michelin- starred, Japanese-inspired tasting menu: there’s an entire flight. When I was last at Humble Chicken, I had a combination of the wine and saké menu, but now I’ll most definitely be focusing on the team’s saké favourites. Restaurant manager Aidan Monk is such a saké obsessive he’s earned the nickname “White Samurai” – his favourite, Noguchi Naohiko’s Yamahai Omachi muroka nama genshu, is my next must-drink. YUKI BLOSSOM AT ISABEL If your chips have all come in at once and some Mayfair glamour beckons, there’s the Yuki Blossom at Isabel. As an enormous fan of The Real Housewives of London , I was champing at the bit to go to one of their regular haunts (without having a drink thrown in my face). The Yuki Blossom is the dearest but most spring-appropriate cocktail on the list – a heady mix of Yukigama saké, Suntory whisky, peach liqueur, jasmine, honey and green tea. TSUCHIDA TE TO TE SAKÉ AT SUNE Sommelier and Sune co-owner Honey Spencer is one of London’s most passionate flag-flyers for inventive saké pairings. There has always been a saké by-the-glass at her restaurant when I’ve been, but she tells me she’s recently launched some tempting new pairings. The Te To Te (meaning “sky and hand”) is a savoury, low-intervention saké made with the hands-on Edo-period “kimoto” method. “It’s wildly savoury,” she says. “And tastes a bit like Monster Munch dipped in marmite.” Pair it with Sune’s smoked eel on toast.
From north London to the Nile delta, the Kiln chef shares the locales and life experiences that have shaped his hotly anticipated Soho restaurant, Impala.
By Ben Olsen
Next time you’re out and there’s saké by the glass on the drinks list, I implore you to ask about it. If you’re the kind of person who appreciates a thoughtful wine pairing, you’re likely to derive just as much pleasure from its rice-based cousin. Saké production has traditionally been restricted to the colder months in Japan, when breweries host kurabiraki, or opening ceremonies, to launch the season’s brews. What better way to celebrate the days getting a little longer?
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